Thursday, November 20, 2008

This Little Piggy Went to War!

Everyone knows that The Punisher can use anything as a weapon. A gun, a knife, a carrot, a Nerf ball, a bit of string...the man can break your spine in six places with a Jell-O™ Pudding Cup.

Punisher War Zone Annual #1
Panels from The Punisher: War Zone Annual #1 (July 1993), written by Chuck Dixon, penciled and inked by John Buscema, colored by Ericka T. Moran, lettered by Michael Higgins

That's why whenever you sell out Mister Castle to the mob, make certain there's nothing within his reach that he can use against you as a killing tool.


Punisher War Zone Annual #1
Especially never


Punisher War Zone Annual #1
let him have


Punisher War Zone Annual #1
access to


Punisher War Zone Annual #1
a pig.


Captain America may use a metal shield for protection...
Punisher War Zone Annual #1
...but all Frank Castle needs is a pig.



This otherwise-serviceable tale of crime, revenge, and ham would have gone unnoticed in the annals of the many Punisher titles that glutted your local comic book store in the mid-1990s (Punisher, Punisher War Zone, Punisher Armory, Punisher vs. Archie, Punisher's Summer Vacation Spectacular, Punisher Love-In, Punisher: Son of Odin, The Mutant Misadventures of The Punisher, X-Punisher, Punisher: Sorcerer Supreme, Wolverunisher, and Star Comics' for-children-series Kid Punisher, to name but a few) if it hadn't been for the sparkling debut of that fan-favorite character whose first appearance later drove the back issue price for Punisher: War Zone Annual #1 higher than Hulk #181...the epic premiere of Frank's later constant companion and sidekick, his comrade in arms, dangerous and deadly, powerful and porcine, he's...

The Punisher's Battle-Pig!

Appearing in over seventy separate comic book guest-spots during the height of his popularity, the Punisher's Battle-Pig is one of those characters that's not often seen in today's modern "realistic" Marvel Universe of Red Hulks and shape-changing alien infiltrators, but he was an icon of his time. Let's remember him with a look at his popular page from The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, shall we?:

The Punisher's Battle-Pig
(Click picture to Hogzilla-size)


Remember kids, The Punisher's Battle-Pig says

Punisher's Battle-Pig

Take a bite out of crime...not bacon!



So, in conclusion, let's all listen to The Punisher's Battle-Pig's Haunting Love Theme, shall we?




6 comments:

  1. never was a WTF!!! more called for. But sweet, very sweet indeed.

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  2. Five stars.

    I need "Take a bite out of crime...not bacon!" on a t-shirt.

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  3. Always nice to see what appears to be some John Buscema artwork. And it just goes to prove that pork is indeed versatile.

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